Congratulations to our trauma navigator pilot team, known by all of us as BLOSM, who were finalists at last week’s Nursing Times Awards, in the Critical and Emergency Care category. 

BLOSM supports people who have presented with complex social issues, giving colleagues the training and tools to identify these concerns and make appropriate referrals into community services. It uses the principles of trauma-informed care to create multi-agency support service across Emergency Departments at CHFT, delivering patient-centred care to help reduce health inequalities.

The first part of the service is the youth navigator pilot, which supports young people aged between 11-25. BLOSM youth workers are on site seven-days-a-week, supporting vulnerable young people who have attended with complex social issues. 

Alistair Christie, BLOSM Service Lead at CHFT, said: "It was an amazing experience and a privilege to be a finalist alongside some incredible nurse-led initiatives from around the country.”

Chief Executive, Brendan Brown said: “The work they’re doing to support vulnerable people coming into our Emergency Departments has seen them receive requests from as far away as New Zealand to find out more. A real credit to them all for their dedication to supporting a trauma-informed approach here at CHFT.”

BLOSM stands for:

• Bridging the gap
• Leading a change in culture
• Overcoming adversity
• Supporting vulnerable people
• Motivating independence and confidence